Subject: Gore denounces Bush plan to recall US troops from Balkans
Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2000 0:00:06 PDT
From: C-afp@... (AFP)
Organization: Copyright 2000 by Agence France-Presse (via ClariNet)
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WASHINGTON, Oct 22 (AFP) - US Vice President Al Gore has
denounced a proposal by presidential rival George W. Bush to
withdraw American ground troops from their peacekeeping mission in
the Balkans, the Washington Post reported Sunday.
"Governor Bush's proposal would be more than a major untested
shift in America's foreign policy for the last half-century," Gore
said in remarks made during and after a campaign event here.
"It would be one that could jeopardize fragile alliances. It
would be a damaging blow to NATO," he told the Times.
Gore's comments were echoed by Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright, who dismissed the Bush proposal as misguided, saying the
Bush campaign's scheme could destabilize the region.
"I am secretary of state of the United States until noon on
January 20th, and this is damaging to American foreign policy,"
Albright said.
In an interview in Saturday's New York Times, a top Bush advisor
said the United States would withdraw from NATO peacekeeping
missions and encourage European countries to "step up to their
responsibilities" if the Republican presidential hopeful is
elected.
"When it comes to nation-building or civilian administration or
indefinite peacekeeping, we do need for the Europeans to step up to
their responsibilities," Condoleeza Rice, the Republican
presidential candidate's senior national security aide told the
Times.
Rice said the Bush plan would focus US military efforts on
traditional combat missions to deter trouble in hot spots including
the Gulf, Asia and elsewhere.
The United States sent in 25,000 troops to bolster the Dayton
peace accords on Bosnia in 1995 and last year dispatched troops to
keep the peace in Kosovo. Some 11,500 troop remain in Bosnia and
Kosovo.